Military Exercise
by LongTimeFan
Summary: Darting across the short distance, John slammed his body into Elizabeth, driving them both to the ground. "Stay down," he growled as he scrambled for his P90 lying with his gear. Snatching it, he crawled back, making sure he was between her and the incoming weapon fire. "Get ready to run," John yelled, spinning to shoot a stranger that was getting too close.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I'll confess up front here. When I was writing this, I made an error. I wrote the Elizabeth/John pieces first and now my muse isn't interested in writing the other parts. So, what you have here is basically half a story. It's not a bad half, but this one had the potential of being much bigger. So, apologies for any non-EJ folks looking for something more. I also struggled with the title so it's lame! But hopefully you will forgive both of these failings. Yes, I am a EJ shipper to the core and in my world, so there is no cause for them to not demonstrate their feelings when they are alone. Nothing graphic in this. Just don't be surprised.

As always, the following is a work of fiction based on the television series Stargate Atlantis. It is in no way intended to infringe on the copyrights of anyone who may have legal rights to the characters and settings. I'm only borrowing them for a short time and will return them in relatively the same shape as when borrowed.

* * *

The low sound of voices and movement brought awareness to Doctor Elizabeth Weir that morning had arrived. Daring to peek out through narrow slits made by eyelids that did not want to rise, she realized that the sun had not yet broken the horizon. Moaning, she buried her face deeper into her bed, trying to steal a little more time before she was forced to rise.

Beside her, she could hear the rustle of cloth as Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard pulled on his boots and laced them up. Opening one eye, she watched him stand and stretch, attempting to work out the kinks and pains from sleeping on the ground. Bending over, he picked up his blanket and draped it over her before kneeling down to role up the sleeping bag he had been using for padding.

Glancing back at her when he heard her trying to find someway to snuggle deeper into the extra warmth, he smirked. "Wouldn't get too comfortable there," he warned lightly, knowing she was awake. Raising the cover far enough to see her face, he added, "If you want to be back to Atlantis tonight, we need to head out before too much longer."

"Not til coffee's ready," she muttered in protest, burying her face farther.

Chuckling, John laid his hand on her arm and squeezed it before rising to his feet and moving away.

Elizabeth could hear the low murmurs of morning greetings and conversations around her. She knew she needed to get moving but the thought of leaving her warm position wasn't appealing. She realized she had dozed back off when she suddenly felt someone beside her and the aroma of coffee reached her nostrils.

"Okay sleepyhead," John teased, pulling the blanket from her head. "Coffee's ready. Time to get up."

Opening her eyes, she shut them quickly to avoid the glare of the sun shining in them. "You're a mean man, John Sheppard," she moaned, snagging the coffee cup from him. Shifting slightly, she hissed at the aches in her body.

Amused, John's eyes danced with mischief mingled with a touch of sympathy as he watched her slow telling movements. Assessing that she was merely sore from the past several days, he sighed dramatically. "You're the one who wanted to come on a training mission. If you want to play with the big boys, you gotta get up early." The glare she threw at him over the edge of the cup brought a chuckle from his lips.

Patting her leg, he put out a hand. "Breakfast is ready, and if you wait too long, those guys," he said gesturing over his shoulder, "will have it all eaten."

Looking over at the group of military personnel milling around the cooking fire, Elizabeth acknowledged the truth of his words before allowing him to pull her to her feet. Grimacing, she held tight to his hand as her feet and legs protested. "Just how far did we walk, slash, run yesterday?" she groused, throwing him a glare.

Shrugging, John tried to look innocent. "Twenty, twenty five."

'Miles!?" she exclaimed. Seeing John's amused expression, she hated herself for ever requesting to come with him. "Please don't tell me we have that far to go today?" she asked, her tone desperate.

"No more than twelve, thirteen tops," he replied taking the cup before moving back towards the fire and throwing a smirk over his shoulder at her protest over losing the coffee.

Shaking her head at her own sheer stupidity for signing up for a military training event, Elizabeth reluctantly slid on her boots. She had just finished tying them and had reached to roll up the sleeping bag when chaos erupted around her.

~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA

Amused by Elizabeth's objection to him taking his coffee back, John moved back to the fire to fix her a plate. She needed to eat after the amount of physical activity she had been through the past several days. Although he had had doubts about her coming, she had proven her willingness to attempt anything the others were doing.

It was irrelevant that she had been unable to keep up with them; that had not been the point. It was, as she said when she told him she was coming, important that she understood what she asked of those under her command. That included the military as well as civilian personnel. And their training was a necessary part of that understanding.

"She okay?" Ronan Dex asked, his eyes glancing toward the dark hair woman gingerly putting on her boots. The Sateedan had been surprised by her more than once on this trip. He had bet Teyla she would be crying to go back to Atlantis long before now. Teyla had merely smiled and shook her head at him when he had said it.

"Feeling that run," John said, nodding. "Guess we'll have to..."

The rest of his sentence was interrupted by the almost simultaneous sounds of an energy weapon discharging and an agonizing cry. More energy shots combined with gunfire and barked orders split the morning air as the realization that the camp was under attack penetrated half awake brains.

Dropping the plate and darting across the short distance, John slammed his body into Elizabeth, driving them both to the ground. "Stay down," he growled as he scrambled for his P90 lying with his gear. Snatching it, he crawled back, making sure he was between her and the incoming weapon fire.

"Get ready to run," John yelled, spinning to shoot a stranger that was getting too close for comfort. Chancing a glance back, he saw Elizabeth gripping a handgun and a radio that had been attached to her pack. "Ronan! Teyla!" John bellowed for his team members. "Cover fire!"

Knowing his order would be followed, John spun and motioned Elizabeth to get up. "Run. Keep as low as you can. I'll be right behind you!" he urged, pushing her forward.

"Radio," Elizabeth called out, feeling it slip from her fingers as she stumbled forward.

"Leave it!" John barked, shoving her on.

~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA

Running as fast as she could through the forest, Elizabeth flinched at the energy bolt that struck a tree as she passed it. Ducking to cover her face from the flying debris, an involuntary yelp escaped her lips as she felt a large chunk of wood imbed itself in her arm. The force of the explosion coupled with the momentum of the sudden assault sent her staggering sideways. Losing her balance, she fell into the brush, instinctively moving herself away from the point of impact.

Scrambling behind a nearby fallen tree, she tried to calm her ragged breathing enough to be able to hear the approach of her pursuers. Desperately clutching the pistol in her hand, she chanced a quick glance over the log. She could see three men nearing her position. Squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment, she moved to her knees preparing to fire if necessary.

Chancing one more look, Elizabeth swore as one of the three men spotted her. Aiming at the nearest man, she pulled the trigger before firing off several rounds at the others. Ducking to avoid getting hit by their return fire, the sound of their approach was drowned out by rapid gunfire echoing through the forest. Looking over the log, she saw her pursuers crumble from the assault. Frantically looking around to find the shooter, Elizabeth's eyes widened when she saw Sheppard sprinting toward her position.

Sliding on his knees in front of her, John desperately ran his eyes over her to make sure she was intact. Taking in the scratches on her face and neck, he focused on finding the source of the blood flowing down her hand. "Okay?" he breathed, pulling his knife and cutting a long slit in the sleeve of her coat to expose her arm.

"They didn't hit me," she said before a hiss escaped. "How deep is it?" Elizabeth asked through gritted teeth as John felt around the four inch shard of bark protruding from her bicep.

Grimacing, he briefly looked over at her before focusing again on the task he was about to do. "Deep enough this is going to hurt," he said, glancing at her to see if she was ready. Locking eyes, he watched her stiffen and prepare herself. When he saw her slight nod, he yanked the wood from her arm.

Gulping in a sharp breath through her teeth, Elizabeth bit back the yelp that threatened to escape. Blinking the wetness from her eyes, she felt John wrap a bandage around her arm to stop the flow of blood. "Definitely have to rethink these little getaways," she said huskily, trying to ignore the throbbing in her arm. "Remind me when we get back to cancel my membership in the John Sheppard Island Getaway Club."

Flashing her a smile, John rested a hand on the side of her head. "Maybe we should try the beach next time, uh?"

A choked laugh escaped Elizabeth's lips as she leaned her head into John's palm. Pulling her forward, he pressed his lips to hers for a few seconds, both seeking and giving assurance that they would be okay. Breaking the contact, he glanced around. "We have to keep moving," he said, letting go of her to pick up her gun and hand it back to her. "Ready?" Seeing her nod, he stood, bringing her to her feet with him.

Keeping a firm grip on her hand, he paused long enough to retrieve one of the weapons from their attackers before he moved them further into the dense forest.

~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA

AN2: This one will be about 4 parts. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you so much for kind words, favorites and follows to this piece. I know I owe some of you acknowledgements and I am hoping to send them soon. But, since the rest of my weekend is full, I'll take a chance you forgive the lapse of individual acknowledgements and post this before sending them. Enjoy.

~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA

Skirting the edge of a small clearing, John put out a hand to halt their progress. The past two hours had been quiet but he had no doubt that the attackers were still searching for them. Glancing at his watch, he mentally noted that it was four hours past the check in time with the SGC personnel at the gate that meant they were likely dead or captured. That also meant they were overdue for a check in with Atlantis. Protocol dictated at least four more hours before any attempt to contact. And they needed to be in range when the call came.

"Nice to know there are places that jumpers can land around here if needed," Elizabeth said drawing his attention where she had sunk on a log.

Following her eyesight across the open span, he nodded as he judged the width of the opening at the top of the tree line. "Bigger than the bay access."

"You think the others have made it close to the stargate by now?"

John ran through the possible outcomes in his head. Six uninjured to help the three he had seen go down in the initial assault, if they were alive. Of the nine, only two had any experience in the Pegasus Galaxy and familiar with the planet to know the different routes to the stargate. Still, all of them had combat experience. They had a chance but it would depend on how long they were delayed in skirmishes. Remembering the large number of the enemy that was descending on the camp, it was likely they had had several battles already.

Lifting a shoulder, he indicated his doubt to her original question. Handing her his canteen and a power bar, he scanned the trees behind them for movement. "Teyla and Ronan would have gotten them headed out toward to gate. They could be close if they were able to keep moving."

Realizing that was not likely, Elizabeth nodded before taking a drink and slipping the food into her pocket. "You think they're still following us?"

The quiet question brought his eyes back to hers. Accepting back the canteen, he took a swallow to give himself a moment before answering. "Have to assume they are since we don't know what brought them here," he said quietly, clipping the canteen back to his body. "It could have been a coincidence they came when we were here, might not have been."

Watching him, realization pressed into Elizabeth. "You know who they are," she stated, knowing she was correct by his lack of response to her statement. "John?"

Flickering his eyes around the area, he brought his attention back to her. "We spotted them once on PFX-785. Call themselves Odens," he answered, watching to see if she remembered it from the mission report. Unsure, he continued. "Teyla said they're a nomadic group of mercenaries who take what or who they want and sell it to the highest bidder."

Frowning, Elizabeth tried to figure out why they would have come to this planet. The only thing she could think of was for them. "You think they're after us as a way to get to Atlantis?" Reading the message in his eye, Elizabeth looked away and swallowed.

"Let's face it. There's a reason we picked this as a beta site; one of which being that it's uninhabited. What other reason would they have to come unless they some how knew we were here? Atlantis would be a gold mine to them. Think of the damage they could do with the weapon stockpile alone, not to mention striping the computers and selling the intel."

"But first they'd have to get access to it," she countered sharply, not wanting to think too much about what he was saying as being possible.

"It's happened before," John stated, quietly reminding her of darker days.

Allowing John's words to seep in, Elizabeth drew in a breath as a visible shiver ran through her.

Reaching for her hand, John pulled her upright. Stepping into her, he slid his hand up her arm until his fingers were touching her cheek. "I won't let that happen," he breathed softly, his look and his words telling her he saw her fear and making a promise to do everything he could to keep both her and Atlantis safe.

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

Reaching up to grab John's hand, Elizabeth was thankful for the tug to help her tackle the last of the large rock wall. They had been scaling a large boulder strewn incline for the past half hour and her arms and legs were a little shaky from the exertion. She had barely been able to reach the top of some of them to pull herself up.

Gaining her feet, she blew out a breath as she looked around. Thankfully, they seemed to be on a plateau of some sort.

"We can take a minute if you need to," John said, noticing the edges of exhaustion creeping in on her.

Realizing he was watching her, she nodded to let him know she was okay and that a few minutes rest would be appreciated. "Gonna pay for that climb," she retorted ruefully, as the faint sound of moving water reached her. "A waterfall?" she asked, cocking her head to listen closer.

Nodding, John smirked. "Over two hundred foot straight into a lake that has almost seventy miles of shoreline," he told her leading her forward a short distance. ''Quickest way around it is here at the top."

"I don't see it," Elizabeth said, though the sound of the water was getting louder.

"It's virtually hidden until you're on it," John explained coming to a halt and holding out his arm to stop her as the ground suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but open air before them. Below was a breathtaking view. Hearing a sharp intake of air beside him, he glanced at Elizabeth and grinned at the amazement on her face.

"It's gorgeous," she breathed in wonder watching the liquid spill over the nearby edge and float toward the ground. She could feel the mist of it in the breeze as it caressed her face.

"We were going to come this way today so you could see it," John admitted, watching her absorb the beauty and power of the site.

"So you're telling me I would have had to climb those rocks today regardless?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him in a 'you've got to be kidding' look. Reading the truth in his amused gaze, she shook her head in disbelief. "Is that suppose to make me feel better?"

"Does it?" he asked, curious and teasing at the same time.

Looking back at the rushing water and daring to glance down to watch as it fell into the lake below, she stepped toward him and captured his hand. "Thank you for showing me this," she murmured

John's eyes acknowledged her words. "Come on," he said taking her arm. "'You can sit down over here for a few minutes while I check the bridge."

Walking a hundred yards or so along the embankment, they reached the top of the falls. A short distance beyond that, Elizabeth could see a rope bridge that had been hung several feet above the fast moving river that fed the waterfall. If she had to guess, it was an easy sixty feet across the span.

Leaning against a boulder, she watched as John scaled the rocks leading to the suspension bridge and began to tug on the lines of it. Following the three ropes, he checked the ties on the nearby tree that served as the anchor. Looking at the other side, she presumed it was similarly secured over there.

"I take it we put this up," Elizabeth called, her words serving as a statement and a question.

"Was a good training exercise, and it made getting to the other side shorter," John acknowledged, seemingly content with what he was seeing and feeling with his inspection. Coming down to her, he asked, "Ever been on one of these?"

Seeing a shake of her head, he continued, watching her assess the bridge and river. "It's not hard. Keep your weight centered and your hands on the upper ropes. The ropes are going to sag and sway some, so don't let that concern you. Slow down if it gets to feel like too much. The bottom rope may be slick so test your footing," he cautioned. "I'll go first and cover us from the other side just in case anyone is waiting."

Seeing uncertainty flash across her face, he laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "You okay?" he asked softly.

"If they are waiting for us, wouldn't it be to their advantage to attack when we are crossing?"

Scanning the far shore, John searched for any sign of movement as he debated how to answer her. Sometimes she was too sharp for her own good. He had been thinking the same thing for quite some time. Knowing that nothing less than the truth would suffice, he pinned her with his eyes "Not much choice if we want to get to the gate."

Realizing he was correct, a sigh escaped her lips as she stood up. "Slow, one foot in front of other, and don't fall. Got it." Wincing as her muscles protested, she caught his eye. "Rocks to climb down on the other side?"

"We'll hole up for a while to rest when we get back down," he offered apologetically. "I had a picnic planned, but hey, kinda forgot the basket this morning." A cheeky smirk pulled at his lips trying to ease the obvious tension and the fatigue that had seemed to settle into her. Her answering smile told him it had helped.

Pulling the pistol from the holster in case of trouble, Elizabeth waited beside the rocks leading to the bridge as John climbed up and prepared to cross. As if making a last minute decision, he paused and took a step back towards her. "Take this," John said, handing her the energy weapon he had commandeered earlier. "It has a longer range than your pistol," he explained.

Stopping at the edge of the rock, and putting one foot on the rope suspended over the water, he let his weight settle on it as a double check. Feeling nothing unexpected, he glanced back at her. "As soon as you see me hit the base over there, get ready. I'll signal if it's clear." Throwing her one last encouraging grin, he stepped forward and began his crossing.

Watching him, Elizabeth cataloged his movements, noting how he adjusted his body for the sway in the rope and the transition of his hands and feet with each step. He was about two thirds of the way when he stopped and his head snapped up toward the far tree line.

Reflexively gripping the weapon in her hand tighter, she tried to ignore the tingle of fear that swept down her back. If either of them were shot and fell, there would nothing to stop them from going over the falls. Peering across the river she tried to spot what had brought John to such a state of alertness. Realizing he was again moving but at a faster rate, she flicked her eyes between the shoreline and him.

When he stepped off the rope onto solid ground, she paused as he leapt from the rock and began to cautiously approach the trees with his weapon ready to fire. Losing sight of him, she cursed under her breath before climbing up the rock leading to the bridge and kneeling there to wait.

Straining to hear over the sound of the water and the breeze, Elizabeth inched forward anxiously. Separated as they were, each was more vulnerable to attack. Yet to try to cross the bridge without some indication of either immediate danger or safety didn't seem wise either.

The sight of a small tree across from her exploding from weapon fire gave her the answer she was looking for. She could not hear the rapport of John's weapon returning fire but she had no doubt he was doing just that. Frustrated that she was being no help to him, she made up her mind.

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

AN2: Okay, I know NOTHING about rope bridges. The very thought of them makes me shudder. So apologies for any errors in the construction or the use of them.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: A special thank you to readers who have reviewed as 'guest' as I am unable to acknowledge your comments directly. I appreciate your feedback and support.

Apologies if the start of this is a little confusing. We are backtracking just a bit in the story to catch up with John. Don't worry, we pick right back up with Elizabeth so you'll soon know her decision. There is a reference to events in Common Ground. No copyright infringement intended. Enjoy!

* * *

Moving closer to the far shoreline, John concentrated on keeping his movements measured and stable to minimize the swaying of the ropes and not cause a delay in getting himself across. He would feel better if he could ensure there was nothing waiting for them so that Elizabeth would not have any added distraction for her trip.

The distant sound of weapons fire caught John's attention. Freezing in place, he listened carefully to verify he had actually heard what he thought before he sped up his crossing once it was confirmed.

Jumping from the rock, he moved steadily toward the battle. Easing himself behind a tree, he scoured the area searching for the combatants. He had no doubt at least part of them were Atlantians. The report of the weapons told him that.

Spotting movement a distance away, he angled himself from the humans and moved to another position to get closer. In doing so, he could tell the gunfire was actually coming from down the hillside. It was the Odens that were closest to him. Smirking at the thought, he repositioned himself to catch them in a crossfire that would not endanger any of his teammates.

Setting his sites, John opened fire as the Odens stood to pursue the others. Startled, two fell from the onslaught, but several others spun and refocused their weapon fire towards him. Ducking behind a tree, John instinctively flinched when one bolt pierced the edge of the tree he was using as a shield. He felt a lance of fire brush his leg as it passed. Forcing himself to remain still and ignore the pain, he swallowed hard as a second bolt screamed past the tree on the opposite side.

Realizing they had pinpointed his location, John ducked and scrambled for another advantage point. Coming up behind a different tree he briefly opened fire before moving positions again using the chaos for cover.

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

Fighting to keep her balance on the slick rope, Elizabeth gasped as her foot slid into the air. Throwing herself backwards, she clenched the ropes to stop herself from hitting the water. She was thankful that she had a shirt and jacket on as she could feel the hemp material attempt to bite into the flesh under her arms, wrists and hands. Shifting slightly, she gasped as a pain ripped through her knee. Struggling to keep the remaining foot connected with the walkway, she pulled the errant leg back to the rope and pulled herself upright.

Looking over her shoulder and then at the far shore, she estimated that she still had at least half the distance to travel. Swallowing the fear that threatened to cut off her oxygen, she forced her body to take a deep breath and take another step. If she ever got off of this bridge, she swore she would never cross one again.

Trying to divert her attention from the distance, she tried to guess how long overdue they were from the latest check in with Atlantis. It had to be long enough for some attempt to try to determine what was occurring on the planet. If she knew Major Evan Lorne, a MALP had already been sent by now. The thought brought a smile to her face.

It was quickly erased however by the sound of weapon fire. Quelling the panic that tingled in her stomach, she forced herself to remain steady on the rope and focus on safely crossing the river. She didn't realize how tense she had become until a bark of laughter indicating her relief escaped as her feet finally made it to the rock base.

Her relief was short lived as the sound of more gunfire reached her ears. Scampering down, she ignored the throbbing in her knee and ran toward the grove of trees that lay between the river and the side of the mountain. Darting from tree to tree, she angled herself toward the sporadic sounds.

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

Crouched behind a prickly bush, Sheppard's eyes scanned the forest for any sign of movement. Seeing none, he took the opportunity to check his magazine to determine how many bullets he had left. Grimacing, he slapped the nearly empty clip back in his gun. Flipping it to single shot status, he couldn't help but wonder about Elizabeth. Had the pair of Odens that had been dogging him decided she would be easier game and diverted their attention? Was that why he hadn't seen or heard them for nearly fifteen minutes?

The questions in his head caused a heavy lump to form in the pit of his stomach and pressure in his chest. Swallowing hard, he rubbed the sweat from his forehead before he looked around. Shifting, he prepared to head back toward the river when a bolt of energy caused him to instinctually drop lower.

John snarled an obscenity at the pain caused by the thorns of the bush digging into the side of his face. Snapping back, he brushed his fingers over the gouges to make sure no debris had imbedded themselves into the wound. Satisfied, he parted the branches of the bush slightly to find the men stalking him.

Catching the merest shift of a shadow, he focused his eyes on the tree and waited. After confirming the man was staying put for the time being, he shifted his eyes to check other nearby spots that could be hiding the second man. In doing so, he spotted the second Oden creeping forward. Shifting slightly, he raised his P90 and got the man in his sights and fired two bullets. The faint sound of a cry and brush snapping reached his ears.

Immediately John's attention shifted back to the original man he had located. Ignoring the sweat trickling down his back, his jaw clenched when he could no longer see the man's shadow beside the tree.

Scanning the immediate area, he looked for his next spot to move. He had been in this location a little too long. At least it was down to a one on one cat and mouse now and he knew that at least these pursuers were not after Elizabeth.

Shifting, he grimaced at the pain throbbing in his leg as the material of his pants rubbed on the burn in his thigh. Hissing, he eased the blood soaked material away from the raw flesh. Flexing his thigh, he was thankful the muscles didn't protest too much. Forcing his brain to ignore the discomfort, he darted across a small span to a tree and pressed his body against it.

He barely made it before a bolt from the energy weapon screamed past him. Spinning, he threw several shots in the area of the last known location of his assailant before throwing his body forward. Hitting the ground, he tucked and rolled to his knees before scrambling to a new cover behind a large fallen log.

Ignoring the pounding of his heart in his chest, he raised his head far enough to scan the forest. As he did, his breath caught in his throat as he spotted a second form slip behind a tree fifty feet from him. "Elizabeth," John spit out before stopping himself. The relief that he knew she was apparently unharmed was quickly replaced by anger that she had placed herself in more danger by coming to his aid.

Frantically, he tried to spot the location of the Oden in relation to the newcomer. She was too close to the area he had been as far as he was concerned.

Before John could do anything to get to her, the Oden fired a shot toward Elizabeth revealing his position. Standing up to get a better aim and draw the man's attention away from her, John fired three rounds into the man's torso as he turned towards him. He knew that he had hit his mark as each bullet caused the stranger to jerk before he slid to the ground out of sight.

At the sound of Elizabeth's approach, John tore his eyes away from confirming no immediate threats remained before turning to greet her. Locking his gaze on her face, he watched as her eyes grew larger at the blood on his face and his leg as she neared.

Reading the relief and anger in his eyes, she knew he would have something to say about her actions. Hoping to delay it a little, she pressed the energy weapon into his hand before she dropped to one knee to assess his leg. Gently pulling on the wet material to look at the damage, she ripped the edges to make the hole bigger. Hissing at the raw flesh that was exposed, she pulled a bandage from his vest. Glancing up, she noted his clenched jaw as he watched her.

Shaking out the bandage, she reached around his leg to catch the end of it and put it on. "Carson's gonna have a field day with us," she breathed, dry sarcasm in her tone. Tying the ends together, she drew in a breath and stood, knowing she had stalled as long as she could.

"Don't remember signaling you it was safe to come over," John stated flatly, as she stood and he could catch her eyes.

Tearing her eyes away from his black orbs, Elizabeth nervously licked her lips as she decided exactly how to answer him. Making up her mind that there was only one thing to say, she raised her eyes back to his. When she spoke, her tone was soft, yet firm. "You can't expect me to do nothing when you're in danger. I did that once when Kolya had you and it about destroyed me. I won't do it again."

"Elizabeth," he started, only to be cut off by her fingers against his lips.

When she was sure he would not speak, she moved her hand and skimmed her fingers down the side of his face. When her hand encountered the blood and deep scratches, her eyes darkened and her fingers trembled from the shiver that flowed through her body. Suppressing it, she closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them to lock eyes with him again. "You wouldn't and you can't expect me to," she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

Reading the determination and haunted pain in her eyes, he knew there was no way at the moment he could counter her argument that she would agree with. John allowed the anger at her disregard for her own safety to slip from his body. "Just don't make a habit of it," he finally murmured, capturing the hand still on his face and brushing his lips against the palm of it.

A small smile toyed at the edges of Elizabeth's lips as she raised an eyebrow at his words.

Understanding her implied message that how often she did that really depended on how often he put himself in danger, John smirked at her before squeezing her hand. "Come on. If we are going get off this mountain before dark we need to get moving."

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

AN2: Thanks for staying with it.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Well, folks here is the last part. The first eleven or so paragraphs in this piece is what triggered this story. The scene popped in my head and I had to figure out how E/J would be here.

* * *

Sitting under a large tree that reminded her of a weeping willow, Elizabeth felt the cool night air seep through her clothes. Suppressing a shiver, she wrapped her arms tighter around her legs, listening to the sounds around her. Straining to hear past the rustling of the leaves, she listened to the rhythmic clicks and chirps of the indigenous insects. She had no idea what they were or even how close they were. All she knew was that their constant murmur meant they were undisturbed by the activity around them.

The sound soothed her. For as long as they kept singing, it meant they were safe for a little while longer.

And the longer they were safe, the longer John could sleep. She knew the pain and blood loss from his leg were wearing on him despite his efforts to hide it.

Glancing sideways, she could barely make out his features. His body was semi-curled around her, his leg lightly pressing against her hip. Someone looking at their positions would assume he was merely seeking warmth.

Experience told her otherwise.

The slightest movement that severed the contact between their two bodies would elicit an immediate reaction from him. He would be instantly awake and be ready to ward off any threat seeking to take her away or cause them bodily harm.

Even if there was none. A slight adjustment of her positioning had awakened him earlier. She had no doubt it would again.

Feeling the breeze seep into her again, she pulled John's shirt tighter around her. After they had finally made it down the mountain, they were both limping severely. Thinking about it, Elizabeth shook her head at how well the adrenaline had worked to mask the pain earlier. She understood a little bit better how John could keep moving when he had been seriously injured.

Finding them a place to rest, John had insisted that she take his shirt for warmth as the night had settled in. Now, toying with the edges of the rolled up sleeve, she couldn't help but wonder if the others were still alive or if they had made it through the gate.

She suspected that she and John were close to it. But she also suspected that it was heavily guarded and that is why he had chosen to wait. Granted it had been late afternoon when they had stopped their travels for the day. Tired and hurting, neither was in shape to take on a battle if they could avoid it. Plus, she was sure that John was betting reinforcements would be here by tomorrow morning.

A yawn escaped as fatigue washed over her. The pain reliever John had forced her to take earlier had dulled the ache in her knee considerably. Gingerly stretching it out, she pressed on it to see how much swelling remained.

"Better?"

Humming a response, Elizabeth focused her attention on him "You?" She asked, not surprised he was alert to her movements. Vaguely she saw his shrug.

"Not bleeding," he added, stretching his legs out. After a few minutes he spoke again. "You're tired. Get some sleep. I'll stay awake," he said, shifting slightly to offer an arm as a pillow.

Lying in front of him, she smiled when he dropped an arm across her stomach and brought her closer to his body. She could feel the chill of his clothes on her back. "You're cold," she muttered accusingly. "You just want me to keep you warm," she countered, her voice indicating she wasn't really upset with him.

"Always," he agreed innocently, trailing kisses on the side of her face. "See, feeling better already."

"I can tell," she breathed, reaching back to capture a kiss. Settling her head back on his arm, she laid her hand over his and allowed her body to relax. She felt like she had just drifted off when she felt John shaking her. Snapping awake she felt the tension in his body.

"Elizabeth," he growled softly in her ear to make sure she was awake. When he felt her stir he tightened his hand on her body. "Stay here," he ordered quietly before rolling away from her.

Alarmed, Elizabeth sat up and slid the pistol from her holster as she watched John slip silently out from under the cover of the tree. Straining to hear any sound that would give her some idea of what was occurring, she realized that the bugs that had been chittering and chirping earlier were silent. Shivering, she couldn't tell if it was fear or the sudden loss of John's body heat causing it.

Time seemed to stand still. Frowning, Elizabeth tried to gauge how much time had passed since he had left. Surely he had found out what was going on by now.

The sound of a branch snapping nearby froze her lungs. Gripping the gun tighter, she forced her body to take a small quiet breath and prepare to move quickly if needed. Focused on trying to determine if the sound was John coming back or something else, she literally jumped when a voice spoke next to her.

"Elizabeth," John called to her, crouching down and pulling the tree leaves aside. Holding out his hand, he helped her move toward him.

As she reached the edge, another hand appeared in front of her. Looking up quickly, she let out a relieved breath. "Ronan," she sighed, grabbing his hand and allowing them to pull her upright. Squeezing Ronan's hand in thanks before letting it go, she looked at the others and nodded at Major Evan Lorne, his team, and several of the soldiers who had been on the training mission. "It's good to see all of you," she finally got out.

"You too, ma'am," Lorne said, letting out a breath. Even in the pre-dawn twilight, he could see the reflection of bandages and scrapes on the pair. They had not escaped the day unharmed.

Realizing someone was missing, alarm went through her and she instinctively gripped John's arm. "Teyla?"

"I am here," Teyla called softly coming up behind the group. Nodding at John and Elizabeth, she looked toward Lorne. "There is a group of Odens coming this way," she reported.

"Time to move," John ordered, pulling the empty magazine from his gun and swapping it with the one that appeared unbidden in front of him.

"SG Eleven has the gate secured. We're about three klicks from it," Evan reported, tucking the empty case in his vest. "You okay to walk?" he asked, nodding to his commander's leg.

Nodding tightly, John tipped his head toward Elizabeth. 'You?" he asked.

Straightening her shoulders, Elizabeth nodded. "As long as we don't have to run," she added.

"Ronan," John stated, looking at the big man.

"Got it," Ronan acknowledged, accepting the order to make sure Elizabeth didn't get left behind if they had to make a run for it.

Moving out, soldiers fanned out to surround their commanding officer and base leader. Lorne positioned himself near John in case he needed assistance. Watching him favor his wounded leg, he was sure Sheppard would need a shoulder to lean on before they got to the gate.

Glancing sideways, he noted Weir's limp was getting more pronounced also. Dropping back by Ronan, he smiled when the big man nodded his agreement about the pair's increasing difficulty and stubbornness to continue with no assistance. An energy bolt hitting a tree near the group sent them into full military response.

Flinching at the roar of the weapon fire passing nearby, Elizabeth gasped as John grabbed her arm and shoved her forward. Stumbling, she yelped as her knee hit the ground, sending pain shooting through her body.

"You hit?" John yelled anxiously, shielding her with his body and sending several shots towards the approaching men before glancing back at her.

"Knee," she gasped out, trying to regain her feet and figure out where they were in relation to the gate.

"I've got her," Ronan yelled, slipping his arm around Elizabeth's knees and back.

"Come on, sir," Lorne urged, pulling on his commander's arm while hitting his radio. "Loretz! We're coming in hot! Dial the gate and tell Atlantis to have medical standing by," he bellowed.

~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA

Pulling off the latex gloves, Doctor Carson Beckett let out a breath in relief. "It'll take several weeks but it should heal without too much trouble," he reported, looking at John. "Let that finish and then you can head out of here," he added.

Looking up at the IV bags above him, John nodded. Carson said the antibiotic was more of a preventative measure than there being any sign of serious infection setting into the scrapes, cuts and burns. "Elizabeth?"

Carson smiled assuringly. "She's going to need to stay off of that leg for a couple weeks and I'll want to check that arm everyday, but other than that she'll be fine. She's getting cleaned up, but I want her to stay here for a bit so I can run an antibiotic and keep her comfortable."

Nodding, John's attention was drawn to his approaching team members. "We find out why the Odens showed up?"

"You," Ronan snorted, leaning on the end of the bed, "and her," he added, nodding toward Elizabeth as she neared the bed next to John.

Raising her eyebrow at the Satedan, she left any comment until the nurse helped her transfer from the wheelchair to the bed. Settling in, she thanked the woman and watched her leave before turning her attention back to the others. "And we know that because...?," she asked, trailing off.

"Asked 'em," the big man replied, a devilish smile on his face.

"Ronan and I were able to catch one of them," Teyla clarified. "He claims they had no knowledge we were there. They came to the planet when we were there by accident."

John looked skeptically at the pair. "So why'd they stay?"

"Wraith want you bad," Dex reported standing up and looking at John. "Once they saw the men at the gate were from Atlantis, they called in reinforcements and started searching. Said they found our camp during the night, but waited til dawn to attack. Not sure Odens realized who was actually there at first," he added, nodding at Elizabeth. "But when they figured it out, they weren't leaving without both of you."

"The Wraith promised to leave an entire planet unculled if the residents give either of you to them. Each of you would bring much wealth to the Odens. To have both of you...," Teyla stated solemnly taking a heavy breath and leaving the implications of the statement hanging in the air.

"Even so, there is no way the Wraith will keep their word," John snapped.

"But," Elizabeth sighed frowning, "some will want to believe it." Locking eyes with John she saw his acknowledgement that it would make any mission a little bit riskier in the future. Sighing again, she plastered a small smile on her face and looked back toward the others. "What happened to the man you captured?"

"We released him," Teyla stated, sharing a look with Ronan, "with a message."

"Message?" John repeated with a frown.

"To leave us the hell alone," Dex retorted.

"That it would not be wise to believe the Wraith," Teyla clarified, giving Ronan a chiding look. "We shall see if it makes a difference. But," she added with a tight smile, "it does not matter right now so I believe it would be best if we let you rest. I am pleased you are both safe," she said.

Before she and Ronan could move, Elizabeth stopped them. "You better contact all off world teams and let them know of this new development. There's no telling who might decide to turn over any of us in the hope of saving their world."

"And send a second team to MGX-729 to back up Rodney and Major Hitchen's team," John added, no longer comfortable with only four military to protect the twenty scientists exploring the ancient ruins there.

"I will see to it," Teyla replied before she and Ronan left.

"And then get some rest," Carson called after them. Turning to his two remaining friends, he asked, "Comfortable? Need anything to help you sleep?" Seeing head shakes, he smiled. "Get some rest and I'll check back in a bit," he assured them, heading toward his office.

Silence descended after the others left. Watching Elizabeth, John could read the concern in her features at the latest development the Pegasus galaxy had thrown at them. Sliding from the bed, he crossed the couple steps between their beds, careful to not dislodge the IV. "Hey," he called softly when she did not seem to realize he was there. When she looked at him, he cocked his head. "You okay?"

Her gaze softened at his question. "Yeah," she said, her eyes roaming his features. "You?"

Nodding toward the port in his hand, he said, "When this gets done, Carson's releasing me. You, on the other hand, have to stay." A smirk crossed his face at the grimace on Elizabeth's. "Shouldn't be for long," he relented at her apparent misery.

Nodding, Elizabeth dropped her gaze and sobered. "John, about what Teyla said," she began looking back up.

Shaking his head, John cut her off. "Doesn't change a thing," he stated firmly. "It's not like the Wraith weren't after us before."

"Still, now others may be more inclined to help them."

"Everyone will have to be a little sharper, that's all," he replied, allowing his fingers to touch the back of her arm. "We'll figure it out," he assured her. "Right now, just get some sleep," he added, stroking his fingers along her arm to soothe her.

Locking eyes with him to let him know the conversation wasn't really over, Elizabeth relented for now. Focusing on the rhythmic strokes of his fingers, she allowed her body to begin to relax. "You need sleep too," she murmured, feeling her eyes begin to droop.

"I will," he promised, watching her loose the battle to the sleep pulling on her. Waiting long enough to ensure she was out, John eased back into his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he frowned.

Despite what he had just said to Elizabeth, the fact that the Wraith had just created a new level of danger for them weighed heavily on him. Forcing the thought back, John closed his eyes.

He'd think of something. He would have to.

The end

* * *

AN2: As I said in the beginning, there were all sorts of additional parts of this that could have been written. I actually wrote this several months ago but my muse was being stubborn and wouldn't go back to finish it. Hope the parts that made it to screen were enjoyable and didn't leave too many unanswered questions for you. And yes, I am fully aware the door is open for all sorts of additional stories here. We will have to see if anything else develops. Thanks for reading!


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